FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Southeast Missouri 3, Morehead State 0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-23)
@Eastern Illinois 3, Austin Peay 1 (25-13, 25-13, 21-25, 25-20)
Tennessee Tech 3, @Belmont 2 (25-17, 25-16, 20-25, 19-25, 15-9)
Murray State 3, @SIUE 2 (23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 24-26, 15-11)
@UT Martin 3, Tennessee State 2 (25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 20-25, 15-10)
SOUTHEAST MISSSOURI 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (22-7, 13-4 OVC) swept Ohio Valley Conference leader Morehead State (18-10 14-3 OVC), 25-22, 25-23, 25-23, Friday to open Senior Weekend a Houck Field House.
SEMO handed the Eagles its third loss in OVC play Friday and are now a win a way from grabbing a share of the regular-season title Saturday.
Zoey Beasley led the Redhawks offense with 16 kills to go along with three blocks and a pair of digs on a .433 hitting percentage.
Talia Gouard added eight kills, seven blocks and an ace on a .400 clip. Colby Greene finished with seven kills, batting a .318.
Gouard paced the Redhawks in the opening set with four kills and four blocks on a .667 as SEMO jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a 25-22 win.
SEMO trailed early 10-5 before pulling within one at the media timeout, 15-14.
Each set Friday would feature a 15-14 score line at the media timeout with the Redhawks leading at the break in the second set.
The Eagles utilized a 7-2 run to extend their margin to 21-16.
After a Redhawks timeout, SEMO seized the first set, 25-22, on a 9-1 rally including the final eight points.
Laney Malloy knocked a kill before teaming up with Gouard for a block assist to cut the deficit to 22-20. Ally Dion then placed an ace to knot the set at 22-22 before Gouard had a hand in the final three Redhawks points.
The junior middle blocker from Houston, Texas, registered a pair of kills that book ended a block assist with Claire Ochs.
SEMO hit a match-high .364 in the first set.
The second frame featured 11 ties in a back and forth affair. The Redhawks had a slight 10-7 lead after a Morehead State error.
Greene knocked a kill as SEMO went to the media timeout up 15-14.
Elissa Moylan and Beasley combined for a block to make the edge, 20-19.
Rally stoppers by Olivia Lohmeier, the two-time OVC Player of the Year, and Taylor Hodges retied the set at 20-20 and 21-21.
Gouard and Greene added a block before a MSU error brought the score to 23-21.
The Eagles tied the set once again with a pair of points before SEMO claimed the set with kills by Claire Ochs and Beasley.
Beasley knocked six kills in both the second and third sets on .556 and .417 rates, respectively.
Morehead State hit at a rate of .300 compared to the Redhawks' .278.
SEMO concluded the match with a .311 and finished Friday with an overall hitting percentage of .316.
The Redhawks commenced the third set with a 10-6 lead after kills by Malloy, Gouard and Ochs.
The Eagles responded with a 3-0 run to switch the lead to 14-12 and had a 15-14 edge at the media stoppage.
Abby Hulsman connected on a kill to provide Morehead State a 19-17 advantage.
SEMO then tied the set at 19-19 after a couple of Eagles errors.
Morehead State then widened the gap to 22-19 after a 3-0 run.
SEMO continued to fight and came within a point of match point, 23-22, with a 4-0 rally. Ochs and Beasley each had two kills during the sequence.
Lohmeier added another kill before the Redhawks sealed the victory with rally stoppers from Beasley and Greene.
SEMO out blocked the Eagles, 9-1, and had a 5-3 lead in aces.
Moylan (.364) chipped in five kills and Malloy tallied four with six digs.
Ochs passed out 38 assists to go along with five kills (.500) and five digs.
Tara Beilsmith scooped up 20 digs with a pair of assists. Dion added eight digs with a season-best matching three aces and two assists.
Kayla Closset finished with four digs and two assists.
Lohmeier led Morehead State with 16 kills and six digs on a .324 followed by McKenzee Wagener (11 kills, .529) and Hulsman (10 kills). Bridget Bessler tallied 43 assists and eight digs. Allison Whitten had 17 digs.
The Redhawks notched 23 wins for the second time in the past three seasons Friday and can match SEMO's 2020-21 OVC win mark of 14 with a win Saturday.
SEMO closes out the 2021 OVC regular season Saturday afternoon at Houck Field House. First service is set for 2 p.m., CT for Senior Day. .
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, AUSTIN PEAY 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (11-16, 4-13 OVC) knock off Austin Peay (19-11, 12-5 OVC) to earn their fourth Ohio Valley Conference win of the season. This win also clinches EIU a spot in the OVC tournament next week. The Panthers won 3-1 with the following set scores: 25-13, 25-13, 21-25, 25-20.
EIU started off hot in the first set winning 25-13. The Panthers jumped out to a 10-4 lead, and extended it to 17-8 later in the set. The defense was led by Ashley Sharkus and Bailey Chandler who both had incredible digs to help EIU pick up the win. Danielle Allen and Elisavet Papageorgiou both had three kills in the set while Kameryn Sillmon added three block assists. Brooke Moore picked up three kills for the Governors while Austin Peay was help to a -.114 hitting percentage.
The Panthers did not slow down in the second as they held Austin Peay to 13 points for the second straight set. EIU jumped out 13-7 early and never let up their efforts on the defensive side of the net. Allen continued to lead the offense with four kills while Papageorgiou and Annka Black chipped in with three a piece. Kylie Michael also added two kills and five digs. The Panthers defense allowed APSU to hit .000 in the second. They were led by Tegan Seyring with five kills.
Austin Peay took their lone set of the night in the third by a score of 21-25. The Panthers had a strong third with 17 kills on a .318 hitting percentage, but it was not enough to overcome 19 kills and a .386 hitting percentage from the Governors. EIU saw Allen lead the way with six kills and Emily Wilcox also added five of her own. Summerlyn Smith also added nine assists. Seyring added five to her total for Austin Peay and Caroline Waite collected 10 assists.
EIU would not be held down for long as they swarmed back to win the fourth set 25-20, and end the match at 3-1. Eastern's defense was dominating all night as they held Austin Peavy to a .118 hitting percentage throughout the entire match. Allen ended her night with five more kills while Michael added three kills and three digs. Kaylah Jackson had three kills of her own in the fourth, but it was too late for the Governors.
Austin Peay was led by Seyring with 11 kills and two block assists, Waite with 18 assists , Mikayla Powell with nine kills and Maggie Keeenan with three block assists. The Governors drop to 19-11 on the season and 12-5 in the OVC.
Eastern Illinois was led by Allen with 18 kills and three block assists, Papageorgiou with 11 kills, Sharkus with eight assists and 18 digs, Sillmon with five kills and six block assists, and Kylie Michael with five kills and 14 digs. The Panther improve to 11-16 on the season and a 4-13 record in the conference.
The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow night as they play their final regular season home match against Austin Peay at 4 p.m
TENNESSEE TECH 3, BELMONT 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont University volleyball's thrilling comeback attempt fell just short on Friday night at the Curb Event Center, as Tennessee Tech held off the Bruins, 3-2, to thwart Belmont's bid for a reverse sweep.
After dropping the first two sets, 17-25 and 16-25, Belmont responded with wins of 25-20 and 25-19 to force a decisive Game 5. However, Tennessee Tech took the fifth set, 15-9, to secure their seventh straight victory over Belmont.
"I think that in Games 3 and 4, we definitely turned around the mood of the game and showed some spirit," head coach Katelyn Harrison said. "Obviously, though, I wished that we had played Games 1 and 2 more like 3 and 4, but I like the fact that we battled and we were able to turn around both the mood on the court and the momentum. Tennessee Tech is a good team, and I thought that in Games 3 and 4 we followed the gameplan much better."
Taylor Floyd had 11 kills and Laura Shoopman tallied ten kills to lead Belmont offensively. Carly Mason finished with 21 assists and six digs, while setter teammate Izzy Schauer collected 19 assists and 11 digs for a double-double.
Rachel McBride picked up a team-high 14 digs, while Kailee Bass led the Bruin charge at the net with four block assists.
Tennessee Tech jumped out to a hot start in the first set, leading 6-1 and 13-7 on the way to a 25-17 win. The Bruins committed a game-high seven attack errors and had four service errors to fall behind early.
In the second set, the Golden Eagles continued their strong play, holding Belmont to a .031 attack percentage with six attack errors. Tennessee Tech collected three more blocks on the way to a 25-16 win.
Belmont used the intermission to find their groove, coming out with a completely different energy to start the third set. Trailing 9-10, the Bruins got big kills from Floyd and Lauren Walsh to put together a 5-0 run to lead 14-10. Tennessee Tech would tie things at 17-17, but the Bruins responded with a 3-0 run to force a Golden Eagles timeout.
A kill from Shoopman and a big block from Sydney Willis punctuated a strong Bruin close, as Belmont won the set, 25-20.
Belmont kept their foot on the gas in the fourth set, this time with Bass leading the charge after four more kills. The Bruins got solo blocks from Shoopman and Willis to keep Tennessee Tech on edge, grabbing leads of 7-3 and 17-10 on their way to a decisive 25-19 win to tie the match at 2-2.
With the crowd at a fever pitch, Tennessee Tech took the first four points of the fifth set to regain their early-match form. Belmont battled back, but ended up falling, 15-9, to give Tennessee Tech their fourth straight win.
Belmont will get a rematch with Tennessee Tech on Saturday when they welcome the Golden Eagles to the Curb Event Center for an 11:30am start time in the regular season finale. Prior to first serve, the Bruins will be honoring their five seniors with Senior Day recognition.
MURRAY STATE 3, SIUE 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Despite a valiant defensive effort, SIUE volleyball fell to Murray State in five sets on Friday night (25-23, 15-25, 19-15, 26-24, 11-15).
The first set saw both squads trade points, but even an outstanding eight total blocks from the Cougars proved to be the difference as the hosts would secure a highly-competitive opening set. However, it would be all Racers in the second and third set, as the visitors hit .520 in the second set and .333 in the third to claim a pair of convincing set victories and go up 2-1 heading into the fourth. The Cougars would not leave quietly, registering a match-high 16 kills and hitting for a team-best .318 to secure the fourth set win and send the contest to a decisive fifth. Despite holding the Racers to their lowest hitting percentage of the night, the Red & White's own offensive woes proved costly and saw the Cougars surrender the match.
As a team, the Cougars registered a season-best 18 total blocks in the match while also recording five service aces. Three Cougars reached double-digit kills on the night - Annie Ellis, who led SIUE with 12, followed closely by Julia Treichel's 11 and Ainsley Ranstead with 10. Ellis hit .300 in the match and notched an outstanding 11 block assists in the five-set match. Ranstead led the Cougars with a hitting percentage of .409. Alyse Drifka led the Cougars with 21 assists, with Grace Beekman not too far behind with 19 to her credit. Nicole Kijowski led the Red & White with 18 digs on the night.
UT MARTIN 3, TENNESSEE STATE 2
MARTIN, Tenn. -– Several University of Tennessee at Martin performers stood out this evening as the Skyhawks seized control during the fifth set of a 3-2 victory (25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 20-25, 15-10) against Tennessee State in Ohio Valley Conference volleyball action.
Karen Scanlon earned her ninth double-double of the season with team-highs of 15 kills, 24 digs and four blocks for the Skyhawks (14-16, 10-7), who set a new OVC wins record in the Jaclynn Wilson Era. Scanlon hit .268 for the evening while her 24 digs were just one shy of her career-high tally, set last year at Eastern Kentucky.
Logan Wallick equaled Scanlon for the team-high with 15 kills while Dylan Mott continued her run of strong defensive play with a season-best 24 digs to tie Scanlon in that category. Haeleigh Paulino contributed 24 assists, a team-high three service aces and nine digs while Olivia Saunders (11 kills) and Addy Vaughn (16 assists) pitched in noteworthy efforts as well.
The match featured 26 tie scores and 13 lead changes (all in the first four sets) before UT Martin clicked in the decisive fifth stanza. The Skyhawks accounted for the first five points of the final set and sided out at 72 percent (8-of-11) to notch the win.
UT Martin scored three of the first four points of the match but a 6-1 run gave the Tigers the early momentum in the opening set. A pair of Saunders kills and two Baillie Kearns service aces took place during a 6-0 Skyhawk surge before Wallick blasted three straight kills and four out of a six-point span. Scanlon followed up with two more kills before teaming alongside Addison Conley for a block assist on set point. Scanlon and Wallick shared the team lead with four kills apiece while Mott’s six digs guided UT Martin defensively in the first set.
Scanlon and Conley joined forces once again to begin the second set as the senior duo combined for four kills during the Skyhawks’ first seven points. Another Scanlon kill – sandwiched around rally killers out of Vaughn and Paulino – extended UT Martin’s lead out to 13-9. After Tennessee State battled back to even the score at 17-17, Wallick had two kills during a 4-1 run to flip the score back in favor of the Skyhawks. Although the Tigers would ultimately tie the score once again at 21-all, Scanlon powered through for two kills – including the set-clincher – during a 4-1 run to wrap up the 2-0 advantage in the match. Scanlon registered seven kills on 12 swings while adding five digs in the second stanza.
Tennessee State extended the match after scoring 10 of the final 15 points in the third set. A Kayla Carrell service ace padded UT Martin’s lead out to 6-2 early but Tigers stormed back to go on top by a 10-8 margin. Back-to-back kills from Wallick helped spur a Skyhawk run as UT Martin had its eyes on a sweep after mounting a 17-15 advantage. Unfortunately, that’s when Tennessee State made its late run to force a fourth set. Scanlon amassed six of the Skyhawks’ 18 digs during the third set.
The fourth stanza was the most competitive of the night as the two sides scrapped for nine ties and five lead changes. Vaughn managed a pair of early kills as UT Martin raced out to a 9-7 advantage before a 9-2 Tiger surge. Tennessee State eventually led 20-14 but the Skyhawks kept fighting, whittling their deficit to only two points after the second of back-to-back kills from Wallick made the score 21-19. However, the Tigers posted four of the final five points to send the match into a fifth stanza. Wallick had a team-high three kills while Saunders produced two kills and two blocks in the fourth set.
As previously mentioned, UT Martin never trailed in the fifth set but it wasn’t a cakewalk to the finish line. Tennessee State closed to within two points at 8-6 but the Skyhawks responded with a 4-0 run to essentially ice the victory. Saunders and Vaughn each had two kills apiece down the stretch before a block assist from the tandem of Wallick and Olivia Lucia on match point. UT Martin had 12 kills with just two errors in the fifth set, hitting .312 while Mott garnered five digs during the abbreviated stanza.
The Skyhawks finish off the 2021 regular season tomorrow when these two sides meet once again at 6 p.m. Prior to the match, UT Martin will honor Francela Ulate, Conley, Reynolds, Scanlon and Wallick as part of Senior Night festivities.